Hi -- Sorry if this is a duplicate. I'm new at this!!! I've just adopted a three year old female (spayed) Australian Shepherd. She is a very good dog in most every way except she is very pushy with other dogs -- rushes toward them, is pushy about sniffing them, often tries to mount them. I've working with a highly regarded trainer, but wondred if anyone out there had also been through this and had any advice for me. Thanks. Janet

It sounds like fairly normal bossy bitch behaviour to me, how do other dogs react and is it all noise and push but no damage. Oh! and would you like another one, my Elli sound like her double. Think hard is the behaviour a problem to you or the other dogs, if it is you, can you learn to live with it, if your answer is no you cant live with it, I hope you are able to retrain her to be calmer, has she had a litter or was she spayed very young. May have no bearing on her behaviour but it may, so let us know. All the best, Ja:)kie

I have a similar problem with my male Labrador. I re-homed him when he was 10 months old because the previous owner did not have the time for him, and although he was taken for a walk every day, it was just down the side of a field where he never met any dogs. So when he started to meet other dogs after we'd homed him, we were a bit wary, but he was fine, and like your dog, was pushey, but only because he was excited and wanted to play. Unfortunately a pair of German Pointers did not see it like this and attacked him, they have since then attacked him 2 more times. Since then he has developed slight behavioural problems, and I think that this is why.